Priority Actions

Collaboratively develop a transparent region-wide agreement on new ‘goals’ and priorities for biodiversity, building in science on climate change.

Why it is important?

A revision of Biodiversity goals and priorities undertaken collaboratively across different sectors is essential to take into account climate change. Different climate futures will make the use of pre-European vegetation a less appropriate reference.

A region-wide, agreed, connectivity strategy, taking into account current science including climate change, will maximise the outcomes from connectivity investment and can inform plans and policies that can have either a positive or perverse impact on biodiversity resilience.

Incorporate priorities and actions identified through Threatened Species Recovery Plans into local projects to facilitate community stewardship of, and action towards, recovery of threatened species.

Why it is important?

Ensuring priorities from Recovery Plans are considered in local level planning and projects provides the most effective way to gain wide-spread adoption and implementation of strategic actions identified through the Recovery Planning process, as well as ensuring strong community stewardship of the process.

Targeted, strategic restoration projects can make the most of the limited and contested funding available, while delivering strong biodiversity outcomes and improving landscape resilience and ecosystem function.

Without appropriate management, the cumulative effect of weeds, pests, diseases, natural disturbances, grazing, poor fire management, etc can all gradually erode the health and function of remnant patches. Existing forests are already contributing to the high biodiversity values of the region - we need to ensure they remain healthy.

Implement education, incentive and stewardship schemes to ensure long term protection of high value habitat – protecting what we already have.

Why it is important?

Investigating positive and innovative ways to protect what is already there provides a cost effective way of achieving good conservation outcomes, while encouraging support from landholders. ‘Least effort’ approaches, such as protecting what we already have, can achieve protection of significant areas of high value habitat.